On June 2, an event took place that marked a before and after in the electoral course of our country. According to the National Electoral Institute, 98,329,591 Mexican men and women voted nationwide to elect 20,708 federal, state, and municipal offices. In addition, it is worth noting that approximately 184,000 Mexican men and women participated from abroad through various modalities offered by the Institute to exercise their right to vote.
Beyond the notable participation of the electorate, among the results there is a fact that will leave more than one person thinking. Regardless of who won the electoral race, what will be discussed in the following article is a rather curious event: the loss of registration by political parties.
A party may lose its registration when it does not obtain at least three percent of the total valid votes cast in any of the elections. This is provided for in Article 41, Section I, fourth paragraph of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, as well as in Article 94 of the General Law of Political Parties.
It is important to emphasize that this can occur at both the federal and local levels; that is, a party may have state registration (known as “Local Parties”) or federal registration (known as “National Parties”). If a National Political Party does not obtain at least three percent of the total valid votes in the elections for deputies, senators, or President of the United Mexican States, it loses its registration. A clear example of this phenomenon in the current electoral process is the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), which was once the main left-wing force in our country, supported by figures such as Porfirio Muñoz Ledo, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, and Ifigenia Martínez. The PRD obtained only 1.91% of the votes, a figure far below the legal minimum required to maintain its registration.
On the other hand, Local Political Parties must also meet the three percent requirement in elections for Governor, deputies to local legislatures and city councils, as well as for Head of Government, deputies to the Legislative Assembly, and the heads of the political-administrative bodies of the territorial demarcations of Mexico City. In the case of Jalisco, the only existing local parties are Hagamos and Futuro (founded by Pedro Kumamoto). However, despite the political coalition to which they belonged, neither reached the three percent necessary to maintain their registration, obtaining 2.5% and 2.1%, respectively, in these elections.
It is undoubtedly interesting how the political phenomenon evolves over time, reflecting trends in voter behavior. Citizen participation is fundamental for the proper functioning of our democratic model. It is essential to recognize the importance of voter participation in decision-making in our country. I eagerly hope that this enthusiasm will prevail for generations.
